We appreciate that many of you have acted on the below already and apologise for the frequency and or duplication of emails sent to you.

One of our Valued Friends and Property Investor Landlords is happy for us to forward onto you an example of the letter they have emailed the Premier of Qld for your perusal and information. In addition to the template letters sent to you yesterday, please feel free to utilize the below template in your correspondence to the Premiere’s department whose email is thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au.

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The Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk MP
Premier of Queensland,
Department of the Premier and Cabinet,
1 William Street,
Brisbane QLD 4002

Urgent Review of Special COVID-19 Protections for Residential Tenants and Owners

Dear Premier,

As one of Queensland’s investment property owners, I am writing to express my serious concerns in respect of your Government’s proposed Special COVID-19 Protections for Residential Tenants and Owners (“Renter Protection Package”). I implore you to reconsider aspects of the Renter Protection Package and to create a more balanced and fairer framework that provides better protection measures for both renters and property owners like myself.

While I support the protection of tenants who are in financial distress due to this pandemic, the scope of the Renter Protection Package is too broad in its application. I am calling on your Government to amend the following aspects of the Renter Protection Package:
• Introduce rent deferrals rather than permanent rent waiver rights for tenants. This aligns with the Federal Government model and framework adopted/being adopted in other jurisdictions;
• Introduce a minimum income reduction threshold for tenants to meet before they qualify for the protection measures. In New South Wales, a 25% income reduction requirement applies;
• Introduce a standard requirement for tenants to substantiate a rent reduction request to allow landlords to make properly informed and fair decisions about rent reductions;
• Introduce clear guidelines on property entry requirements, and broaden the range of activities allowed to continue, subject to applicable safety and hygiene protocols;
• Remove the proposed break lease right that allows tenants to simply walk away from tenancy agreements with only 1 weeks’ notice notwithstanding that those tenants are afforded all the other protections provided under the Renter Protection Package; and,
• Remove the proposed automatic right to a 6-month tenancy agreement extension which in effect introduces a 12-month moratorium in Queensland with the consequential imposition of permanent rent waivers that would be extended over this additional period.

As a property owner, I am also entitled to be supported by special regulatory protections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your Government’s proposed protections ignore my rights, take away my ability to derive critical income and take away control over an asset I’ve worked so hard to acquire. I strongly urge your Government to reconsider these damaging amendments, in favour of protections that offer a better balance of security and stability to property owners and tenants alike.

We strongly believe that it is in your best interest to take action immediately to request urgent intervention in this matter. Please note that we post regular updates via our Facebook page so please check this page out as regularly as you are able to do so with warm regards. The link to the page is http://www.facebook.com/ljgrealestate

Can you please review the above letter and if you would like more thought to go into the proposed changes to the legislation along with feedback from key stakeholders like landlords & property managers, please follow the instructions at: